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No. 748,942. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904; A. 0. FLETCHER.

- NUT LOGK.

Arrmommn FILED SEPT, 21, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Miran aflefc%ezf dig,

I faces to adapt it particularly to hexagonal.

UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,942, dated January 5, 1904:. Application filed September 21,1903. Serial No. 174,074. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, ADDISON G. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Yorkcity,in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to nut-locks.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple article of this character which is effective in action and which can be inexpensively made and applied with facility.

The invention embraces, in connection with a fish-plate and a rail, a bolt passing through the fish-plate and rail, having a nut at its outer end, a plate perforated to receive the bolt, having a flange to bear against the fishplate and an offstanding flange to engage said nut, said plate also having a lip to engage the oifstanding flange to thereby prevent unbending of the flange, the function of the offstandihg flange being to lock the nut against accidental rotation.- The several parts may be of any suitable material or size. Tofurther guard against the ofistanding or nutlocking flange from unbending, said flange and the lip on the body of the plate which embraces it are engaged by a band or ring of some suitable kind. The said nutlocking flange in the present case is of polygonal form, although this is not essential, it being hereinafter described as having three nuts.

The invention is clearly represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and will be hereinafter described in detail; but said invention is not limview of the plate or nut-locking washerillustrated in thepreceding figures. Fig. 4: is a similar view of a ring or band. Fig. 5 is a like view showing a modified form of plate.

In Fig. 2 I have shown two abutting or meeting rails, each being denoted by 2, the usual fish-plate being denoted by 3 and resting upon the bases of the said rails. The rails and fish-plate have registering perforations to receive the bolts 4, having nuts 5 adjacent to the outer face of the fish-plate. The bolts and nuts, like the rails and fishplate, are shown as being of the ordinary kind, the nuts being of the hexagonal type. Square or, in fact, any other shaped nuts may be employed in lieu of the hexagonal ones.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, which show the perforated form of the nut-locking plate or washer, the latter is denoted in a general way by 6 and is doubled on itself to present two leaves or sections, one of which is located in front of the other and which have coinciding perforations 7, shown as circular, to surround the bolts l between the nuts 5 thereof and the fish-plate 3. Along the bottom of the doubled or folded nut-locking plate 6 is an outwardly-disposed flange 8, which rests upon the upper side of the base of the fishplate, said flange being inclined to conform to the angle of said fish-plate base. The inner leaf or section of the said plate isprovided along its top with an inwardly-ex tending flange 9, which fits over the top of said fish-plate, thereby to prevent absolutely any rocking motion of the locking-plate or washer. The forward leaf or section of the said plate or washer 6 is shown as provided at its top with an offstandin g flange 10, which constitutes the lock proper for the not 5. The said offstanding or nut-locking flange 10 is shown as being of polygonal form, it being in the present case three-sided, so as to engage against half of a nut. The odstanding flange is considered to be a nut-locking head, and although I have described it as being three-sided I do not wish to restrict myself in this respect. The flange or nut-locking head 10 is illustrated as engaging over the top of the nut 5, its depth being approximately the same as that of the nut. To preventthe unbending of the nut-locking flange,

I bend out from the body of the plate 6, at the forward upper corners thereof, the angular lips 11, which engage over the flange or head 10 to secure the result just stated. Under ordinary conditions when a nut islocked by the means hereinbefore described it will be held against unscrewing. There are cases, however, where a nut is subjected to unusual jars, and to prevent the unbending of the flange 10 as well as the bent-out lips 11 these parts are encircled by a band or ring 12, which may be of any suitable character. Said band or ring 12 is represented as being of split form, the ends thereof being overlapped by a beveled joint. This band or ring is driven over the nut, flange, and lips from the outer side of the nut until it is quite close to the outer face of the doubled plate or washer 6 and when in its normal position firmly grips the parts which it embraces with such a strong pressure as to prevent the unbending of the flange 10 and lips 11, two of the latter being shown.

In the foregoing description I have set forth in detail the structure of one of the plates or washers and its different parts. It will be evident that the corresponding features in the other plate are identically the same.

Referring to Fig. 5, I have shown a modified form of washer or plate, the same being denoted by 13. The nut-locking flange 10 and the lips 11 in the modified form of plate are the same as in the case of the other one hereinbefore described, and hence corresponding characters are used to designate similar parts therein. The modified form of plate also has a bolt-receiving perforation or hole, but, unlike the other, is only of one thickness or ply. The plate 13 has along its bottom the flange 14, adapted to rest upon the upper inclined side of the base of the fishplate, which I have not shown in Fig. 5.

In use the rails are brought together and the fish-plate is applied to the same in the customary man ner. The bolts are then passed through the fish-plate and rails, respectively,

after which the nut-locking plates are applied to the bolts. The nuts are then run onto their bolts until they engage the outer surfaces of the plates, after which the flanged portions 10 are bent downward to engage the upper sides of the nuts, following which the lips 11 are bent over the said flanges. If the rings or bands 12 are employed, they are then driven into position.

The working portion of the plate 6 may be readily made as follows: After the lockingplate has been stamped or otherwise formed from sheet metal or other suitable material said plate near its top will be slitted inward from the side edges thereof, thereby leaving a head connected to the body of the plate by a neck. This head can then be bent down at right angles to the body of the plate, and the ends of the bent-down portion of the flange or head, which, it will be understood,

are free of the body of the plate, canthen be bent down at obtuse angles to the horizontal portions of the offstanding flange.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A nut-lock including a plate perforated to receive a bolt, having an offstanding nutengaging flange and a neck connecting the flange with the body of the plate between the ends of said flange, said ends being disposed at an angle to the main portion of the flange, whereby the latter will engage several faces of thenut, and the body of the plate having bendable lips at opposite sides of said neck to engage the opposite ends of said flange.

2. The combination of a pair of rails, a fishplate fitted against the same, a bolt passing through registering perforations in a rail and the fish-plate, respectively, having a nut at its outer end, a plate perforated to receive the bolt located between the nut and the fishplate and having an offstanding flange to engage said nut, said plate also having a lip to engage the ofistanding flange, and a band embracing the nut, ofistanding flange and lip, respectively.

3. A nut-lock including a plate perforated to receive a bolt, having an offstanding nutengaging flange and a neck connecting the flange with thebody of the plate between the ends of said flange, said ends being disposed at an angle to the main portion of the flange, whereby the latter will engage several faces of the nut, and the body of the plate having bendable lips at opposite sides of said neck to engage the opposite ends of said flange, and a second flange extending across the same to bear against a suitable support.

a 4:. A nut-lock including a plate doubled upon itself and having a base-flange to rest upon the base of a fish-plate, and the inner section thereof having along its top an inwardly-extending flange to fit over the top of said fish-plate, the sections of said plate having registering perforations to receive a bolt, and the front section of said plate having an ofistanding flange of polygonal form to engage a nut, the ends of said offstanding flange being free of the-body of the plate, and said body having bendable lips to engage the free ends of the offstanding flange.

5. The combination of a pair of rails, a fishplate fitting against the same, a bolt passing through the fish-plate and a rail having a nut at its outer end, and a plate doubled upon itself having a base-flange to rest upon the base of the fish-plate, and the inner section thereof having along its top an inwardly-extending flange to fit over the top of said fishplate, the sections of said locking-plate having registering perforations to receive the bolt between the nut and the fish-plate and the front section of the locking-plate having an offstanding flange of polygonal form to engage the nut, and lips to engage said offstanding flange.

6. Anut-loekingplate havinga bolt-reeeiv- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ing perforation, an offstanding flange and a my hand in presence of two subscribing witneck connecting the flange with the body of nesses.

the plate, said neck being approximately in ADDISON G. FLETCHER. 5 vertical alinement with the perforation, and Witnesses:

the ends of the flange being bent at an angle HEATH SUTHERLAND,

to the remainder thereof. EWELL A. DICK. 

